Here’s a
tune that first appeared in William Gunn’s 1848 collection as a
march. It appears in 22 other tunebooks as a jig.
The jig
(Irish:
port)
is a form of lively folk dance in compound meter, as well as the
accompanying dance tune. The term jig was probably derived from
the French giguer, meaning 'to jump' or the Italian
giga. It was known as a dance in
16th-century England, often in 12/8
time. Later the dance began to be associated with music
particularly in 6/8 time, and
with slip jigs 9/8 time.
During the
seventeenth century the dance was adopted in Ireland and
Scotland, where it was widely adapted, and the jig is now most
often associated with these countries. The jig is second in
popularity only to the reel in traditional Irish dance; it is
popular but somewhat less common in Scottish country dance
music.
In Irish
step dance, there are light jigs, single and double jigs, ho
jigs, treble jigs, straight and sand jigs.
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